How is packet-switching technology different from circuit-switching?
The Internet uses “packet-switching” technology. The term “packets” refers to the fact that the data stream from your computer is broken up into packets of about 200 bytes (on average), which are then sent out onto the network. Each packet contains a “header” with information necessary for routing the packet from origination to destination. Thus each packet in a data stream is independent. The main advantage of packet-switching is that it permits “statistical multiplexing” on the communications lines. That is, the packets from many different sources can share a line, allowing for very efficient use of the fixed capacity. With current technology, packets are generally accepted onto the network on a first-come, first-served basis. If the network becomes overloaded, packets are delayed or discarded (“dropped”).
The Internet uses packet-switching technology. The term packets refers to the fact that the data stream from your computer is broken up into packets of about 200 bytes (on average), which are then sent out onto the network.3 Each packet contains a header with information necessary for routing the packet from origination to destination. Thus each packet in a data stream is independent. The main advantage of packet-switching is that it permits statistical multiplexing on the communications lines. That is, the packets from many different sources can share a line, allowing for very efficient use of the fixed capacity. With current technology, packets are generally accepted onto the network on a first-come, first-served basis. If the network becomes overloaded, packets are delayed or discard (dropped).
